Buying Rental Cars

[BBDartCA]

I used to always advise people against buying rentals due to possible driver abuse and lack of maintenace.

Whats thoughts on buy rental cars nowadays? Any companys to avoid?

 

[The_Jeff]

All the abusers rent from Avis. j/k. I'm sure your question is more about their maintenance. I had an enterprise corolla with horribly uneven tire wear, 4 months expired state inspection, and 32k miles. A taurus from same with 15k had at least had its oil changed once and the $1.50 jobber filter (plain white) was grimy enough it could have happened at 7500 miles.

Wife's chevy corsica and my cutlass ciera started life as rental cars, they even had an RPO code for it. Corsica lived a long happy life to 207k and ciera rusted out at 152k.

 

[Burt]

I was looking for a car for my daughter this week. All the 2008's at the dealers had upwards of 40k miles and were quite worn on the inside and out. I am sure that they were rentals. When the recession hit, the rental companies stopped buying and kept cars longer, double normal. With used car prices so high, why bother buying rental cars now?

 

[andrewg]

This has been debated a few times on this board. The consensus is kind of 50/50 for or against. For me, I would avoid rental cars. I work next to a very large rental car storage facility near a major airport. I see the low-life attendants driving these cars to the various parking areas all the time. They literally HAMMER the snot out of them! Start....floor it....scream around corners....skid the car to a stop. Time and time again. Now some folks say here that in the short term, cars won't be harmed from such abuse and are 'built to take it'. Well, I don't agree and would never want a used car that I would pay thousands for treated like that.
To each his own.

 

[BBDartCA]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
This has been debated a few times on this board. The consensus is kind of 50/50 for or against. For me, I would avoid rental cars. I work next to a very large rental car storage facility near a major airport. I see the low-life attendants driving these cars to the various parking areas all the time. They literally HAMMER the snot out of them! Start....floor it....scream around corners....skid the car to a stop.


That is also what has shaped my opinion as well. Plus my many experiences as a youth drag racing and just plain beting the [censored] out of rentals. A [censored] shoot.

 

[SrDriver]

We see well maintained used vehicles with low miles being sold here in our neighborhood as part of estate sales when someone passes away. Neighborhood is a mixture of retired folks and working professionals.

Often family is from out of state and they are in a hurry to settle things. You can get some good deals.

When buying used often it is better to buy from a dealer and stay away from rentals.

 

[Zoridog]

There is a guy who does 55 mph parallel parking demonstrations at car shows. I think this is on Youtube also.

I'll bet money that he uses rental cars as practice vehicles. Noone would do stunts like that on a car they care about or rely upon.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I've said it here before. A co-worker of mine worked for the "We pick you up" rental company years ago. He says when the cars would come back and the computer said "Oil Change" he would simply hit delete on that notification and send the car back out.
You want a car that potentially had FF in it for 15-20K?

 

[sicko]

I was traveling for work and had to have a rental car for 3-4 months. Every month the rental company called or emailed me requesting the current mileage so that the vehicle could have its maintenance done on it if needed. Assuming the maintenance was done, they were doing their part to stay on top of it.

That being said, my coworker also had a rental car from them. Every time she would shift the car into "Drive" she would push the gear selector sideways so that it would be in third. I had to point out that she shouldn't push the selector sideways, and should instead keep it where it was so that the vehicle will be in normal "Drive". This means that she drove the vehicle for 2-3 weeks, including at least one 1 hour 45 minute drive on the highway (speeds of 70-85 mph), with the vehicle in third. She also wanted to lie about the mileage when they contacted her so that she wouldn't have to take the car back (she didn't want to make the trip to take it back, and she liked the vehicle and didn't want to get stuck with something else).

After seeing her drive, I became more scared of the low standards required to get a driver's license, and I told myself I would never buy a used rental car.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: Burt
I was looking for a car for my daughter this week. All the 2008's at the dealers had upwards of 40k miles and were quite worn on the inside and out.


All 3 of our cars were former rentals...Mine had 20K miles on it and the other 2 less then 10K miles on them...All 3 were like new in and out.

I would not touch a rental with 40K miles on it...Not even sure I would buy another rental again...If I did it would have be a awesome deal and have less the 10K miles on it and be in awesome condition.

BTW we love all 3 of ours.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: Burt
I was looking for a car for my daughter this week. All the 2008's at the dealers had upwards of 40k miles and were quite worn on the inside and out.


All 3 of our cars were former rentals...Mine had 20K miles on it and the other 2 less then 10K miles on them...All 3 were like new in and out.

I would not touch a rental with 40K miles on it...Not even sure I would buy another rental again...If I did it would have be a awesome deal and have less the 10K miles on it and be in awesome condition.

BTW we love all 3 of ours.

For all the advice and opinions I have about NOT buying a rental car, I do own a former loaner car myself. The price was good and after I checked things out the only worn part of the car was the left side of the drivers seat. I figure a lot of large (older) folks must have used it since it is a Grand Marquis. I still advise against it....but mine has been great for the 15k miles I've put on it since purchasing. I've also replaced every fluid in the car and had everything done that would insure longevity. We'll see if I have any issues once it get's older.

 

[Drew99GT]

Just say no to buying rentals!

 

[BBDartCA]

The one saving grace of a rental car is that it isn't abused the same way every day....except by the lot boys

 

[RacerE7773]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT


Just say no to buying rentals!
Would have been a better video if the RF would have blown and taken both morons out. I was taught to treat anything that was not mine like it was mine.

 

[MrCritical]

Pass.

I'd like to add to what's already been said. Wrecks.

I'm guessing conservatively that 60% of daily rentals have been in at least one fender bender. Repair quality has been fair to dangerous.

Working at dealerships for many years, we've made the auction take quite a few of them back for hidden damage. I'd be afraid if I bought one, put my wife in it and she was killed in an accident, they'd hang me for premeditated murder.

I've seen damaged brake lines not replaced, JB Weld on oil and trans pans with holes knocked in them. Wiring repairs a third grader wouldn't claim. A couple of dozen over the years that had been underwater. How did I know that? I dug the grass out from above the headliner when I took it out.

 

[BBDartCA]

Originally Posted By: BBDartCA
The one saving grace of a rental car is that it isn't abused the same way every day....except by the lot boys

Who is editing my posts? I did not say that. Removed my videos too...

 

[brianl703]

I'd add lease cars to this, as well. You know, the people who want a new car but can't really afford it so they lease one, and turn it back in with the same oil it had when they got it.

 

[daves87rs]

Hertz rentals seem to do pretty good...

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: MrCritical
I've seen damaged brake lines not replaced, JB Weld on oil and trans pans with holes knocked in them. Wiring repairs a third grader wouldn't claim. A couple of dozen over the years that had been underwater. How did I know that? I dug the grass out from above the headliner when I took it out.


Some of those "repairs" could have been performed by renters who had damaged the vehicles, and made quick repairs before they had to return the vehicle.

It only has to be good enough to get it through the post-rental inspection and clean up.

 

[The_Jeff]

That guy from the town car jump...

looks like the parking lot attendant from Ferris Beuller's day off

"relax... I'm a professional".

Cameron: "professional what?"